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April 2015
The Epistle Mt. Bethel UMC
Newsletter 9042 NC HWY 127N Hickory, NC 28601
(828) 495-8941 Email address:
[email protected] Website address:
www.mtbethelumc.org
Pastor: Rev Steve Johnson Church (828) 495-8941 Home (828) 495-7435
Email: [email protected] Secretary/Treasurer
Denise Lewis Financial Secretary Rhonda Reinhardt Director of Music
Don Benfield Youth Coordinator:
Andrew Bolick Children’s Coordinator:
Candace Bolick Church Librarian: Carlene Blackburn Church Custodian
ASC/SDC Director: Kathy Travis
CDC Director: Kimberly Crane
Administrative Council Chairman: Max Watson
Service Times:
Sunday Coffee Social 8:30am
Sunday School 9:00am Worship Service 10:00am
Choir Practice/UMYF 6pm Elem Praise Brand Prac 6:15 Youth Praise Band Prac 7:30
Monday
Prayer Grp 10am (except 1st Mon)
Echoes of Heaven Prac 7:30pm
Tuesday Winter Exercise 6:30pm
Wednesday
Gospelaires Practice 8:45am Adult Bible Study 6:30pm
Thursday
Winter Exercise 6:30pm Christian Believer 7:00pm
Page 1/April 2015 The Epistle
From the Pastor’s Desk As we come to April, we are nearing the end of the season of Lent. We are now preparing for Holy Week and Easter. But before we move forward to our Easter celebration, I need to reflect a bit on where we have come from in the last weeks and months in some of our study and worship experiences here at Mt. Bethel. In our Wednesday Bible Study, we experienced “Walking with God in the Desert” for several months concluding the study back in January. We studied about Israel’s wilderness wanderings in the desert areas of Sinai and how God was teaching them about relying on and trusting fully in Him for their every need. We were re-minded again and again about how, even in the harsh desert environment, God could be trusted to bring life to His people through manna and other blessings in the desert. We connected this teaching to our present day “wilderness wanderings” and how our awesome God still provides for us! In this Wednesday Bible Study, we have moved to a new lesson book in this same se-ries where we are studying how God instructed His people at Mt. Sinai to build a Tabernacle so that His presence would be with them on their journey to the Promised Land! We are being reminded of how the presence of God in our lives today should be seen as an awesome experi-ence! We have just completed our series of five Lenten Renewal Services. Once again, this has been an important part of our Lenten journey providing inspiration, spiritual growth, and fel-lowship. Regarding fellowship, a big thanks goes to our Sunday School classes for providing the meals. This time of sharing food and visiting with one another is also a sacred time enjoyed by all! Each of our speakers was inspiring with great music and worship. Thanks to everyone for your support of these services where again this year our attendance each Sunday evening ranged from about 80 to 120! Speaking of our wilderness journeys as God’s people, Josh Sherfey of First UMC, Taylorsville spoke on this theme the last night of our Lenten services. He had a very touching message with part of his sharing on how God ministers to us through angels (human and heavenly). In the midst of our “desert” experiences when we may seem to have nothing left to sustain us, God gives us life and comfort! Jesus endured the pain and agony of the cross and died a horrible death for the following sto-ry to unfold: “When the sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him. And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. They had been saying to one anoth-er, ‘Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?’ When they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had already been rolled back. As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man, dressed in a white robe, sitting on the right side; and they were alarmed. But he said to them, ‘Do not be alarmed; you are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has been raised; he is not here. Look, there is the place they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him, just as he told you.’ So they went out and fled from the tomb, for terror and amazement had seized them; and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.”(Mark 16:1-8) This is the story we celebrate at Easter! Jesus rose from the dead to give us life in the midst of our “deserts”. Death no longer prevails. Jesus conquered death and in so doing won the vic-tory for us who put our faith in Him! May each of you have a wonderful and blessed Easter! Come and worship with us during this upcoming Holy Week (note the schedule of services listed in this newsletter). Grace and Peace, Pastor Steve
The Epistle Page 2/September 2005
Page 2/April 2015
JOY NEWS
Monday, April 6 10:30AM Larry Bolick will be giving an update on Bee Keeping. All just older youth are invited to
bring a covered dish and join us!
Monday, May 4 JOY will be traveling to Hickory for the opening ceremony
of the Senior Games.
SUMMER DAY CAMP JUNE 15– AUG 21
K-8 GRADES
6:00AM—6:00 PM
Our Activities Are: Daily Devotions! · Group Field Trips!
Watch Movies! · Weekly Water Day!
· Fun Crafts and Games! And most importantly, TO HAVE FUN!
1st Registration is FREE!!! Contact Kathy Travis or the church office for registration forms.
CHILDREN’S SUNDAY April 26
(For Entire Church) SS & Worship will be at Mt Bethel.
Cookout & recreation will be at Bethlehem Park following wor-
ship. There will be a sign-up sheet in the nar-thex for help with the food items, etc. needed for
the cookout. Don’t forget to bring your lawn chairs, tents if desired (we will have shelter
use), softball and tennis equipment.
We are also going to be sponsoring “TOILETRIES FOR THE HOMELESS”
beginning on this day. We will be collecting toothbrushes, toothpaste, razors, soap, deodor-
ants, shampoo, etc. to give to the homeless. A container will be placed outside the
sanctuary for collection.
COMING…… THURSDAY, MAY 7 12 NOON
(Around Flag Pole @ Mt. Bethel UMC)
64th ANNUAL OBSERVANCE
NATIONAL DAY OF PRAYER Theme: “O Lord Hear Our Cry” Verse: “Hear the cry and the prayer that your servant is praying in your presence this day.” I Kings 8:28
Holy Week March 29—April 4 Palm Sunday
Procession of Palms Sunday, March 29
10:00AM Worship (beginning outdoors weather permitting)
Holy Thursday Thursday, April 2
Pancake supper 6:00PM (Food preparation will begin at 4:30pm)
Worship 7:00PM (Pancake Supper & Worship in Fellowship Hall)
Good Friday Service Friday, April 3 7:00PM
(will include DVD “The Fifth Cup- Our Way of Hope” from last year)
Easter Sunday Sunday, April 5
Bethlehem Community Easter Sunrise Service will be hosted by Fellowship Advent
Christian Church at 6:30AM with speaker Rev. David Hefner followed by breakfast in the fellowship hall.
Sunday School at Mt. Bethel at 9:00am followed by Easter Worship at 10:00am with the Flower Cross.
The Epistle
Page 3/April 2015
United Methodist Women’s News The UMW met on March 9 with Judy Sipe presiding. Ann Reece had the program on her Belize mission trip. March 21st was the UMW mission study at First UMC in Lenoir. Mt. Bethel UMW will give a donation of $100. Mt. Pisgah needed 20 chicken pies and those were made at $9 per pie. April 25th is the Prayer Breakfast at Bethlehem UMC in Statesville. Zelma Austin will be put on the memorial service list. We will be providing 25 health kits to donate. May 8th is the Mother-Daughter Banquet at 6:30pm. This year Graduates Recognition will be gift bags instead of a meal. June 12-13 is the Spiritual Growth Retreat. Other upcoming events: November 7th is the Fall Bazaar, November 14th is the Chicken Dumpling Supper, Church-Wide Breakfast is December 6th and December 14th is the Christmas Tea at 6:00pm.. Refreshments were served by Nancy Johnson and Barbara Hefner. Respectfully Submitted, Theresa McDanel
Men Make Change in BBQ
The UMM’s Fellowship did not have a breakfast fellowship meeting during the month of March. Once again the men would like to thank everyone who had a part in making our 2015 Sweetheart Banquet during February a great success! The food was awesome but the fun and fel-lowship enjoyed by all was priceless! Mark your calendars now for Saturday, May 2nd for our “2015 UMM Spring BBQ / Chicken Fundraiser”.
N O T I C E Due to various things including the increase cost in sup-plies, fixings, BBQ and chickens, the men have decided to make a change in our menu items and prices. The new menu is shown below: CHICKEN PLATE $9 EACH BBQ PLATE $9 EACH HALF BBQ/HALF CHICKEN PLATE $9 EACH (No more Small Plates / One size plate only) WHOLE CHICKEN $9 EACH CUP OF BBQ $9 EACH CUP OF BEANS $5 EACH CUP OF SLAW $4 EACH UMM’s Fellowship will gather on Sunday morning, April 12th at 7:00am in the fellowship hall for fellowship and breakfast prepared by Scott Bowman, Dale Beck and Larry Bolick. All men regardless of ages are encouraged to attend as we gather for breakfast, fellowship and doing God’s will. Men - Bring a friend with you! Share the love of Christ! UMM Secretary Kevin Beard / Rodney Bolick
VOW SPONSORED YARD SALE MAY 23 7:00am In conjunction with the Country Breakfast on
Saturday, May 23 the VOW committee will be sponsoring a…...
Spring has sprung as they say, and it’s time for some good ol’ spring cleaning. So as you are cleaning out
those closets, getting rid of old furniture or household items to make room for new, ridding your cluttered
bookshelf of the books you have already read, or encouraging your little ones to part with some of their old toys they no longer play with, keep in mind our upcoming Spring Yard Sale. We will be accepting
donations of items the week prior to the sale. Also, we will be renting spaces in the north parking lot for $10
each. Proceeds from the sale of donated items and rental fees will go the Building Fund. Please call Judy
Sipe at (828)612-1519 if you are interested in renting a space.
SPAGHETTI DINNER SPONSORED BY THE MT BETHEL CDC
THURSDAY, APRIL 30 4:00-7:00PM (CARRY OUT ONLY)
Tickets are going to be $7 each. Includes:
Spaghetti, salad, garlic bread & dessert. CDC families & church members are going to be
asked to sell tickets. Tickets will be available from Kimberly Crane, Nancy John-son and the church office. Ticket
money needs to be turned in to Kimberly or the church office.
The Epistle Page 4/April 2015
MT. BETHEL UMC COUNTRY BREAKFAST SATURDAY, APRIL 25
7:00AM SAUSAGE, BACON, LIVER-
MUSH, EGGS, GRITS, APPLES, BISCUITS & GRAVY.
$6.00 Adults, $3.00 children 4-10, Children <3 Free.
All proceeds will go to help support the mission of the church.
God’s Kids Club Events (GKC)
Thanks to all the kids who helped
out with the Coffee House last month and who are participating in our Easter Events. Come for Palm
Sunday as the kids are dressing up, waving palm branches, and singing Hosanna! Also, thanks to all of those who are helping with the Egg Hunt this year to
make it a success. In April we will have a GKC meeting on the 12th at 11:15. The children will be preparing for Children's Sunday on April 26th. In celebration of Children's Sun-day, we will all meet at Bethlehem Park for some food
and fun! Hope everyone can come out and support our children!
Thanks, Candace Bolick
UPCOMING APPALACHIAN DISTRICT WEBINARS
Monday, May 4th - 6:45 PM - Leading Through Change- This will be for any and all church leader-ship as this crosses over the whole church. We will discuss the challenges of going through change, typical but often painful steps in the process to recognize and coping techniques that require pas-tors and lay people to lead through so the Back to Egypt folks don't cause everyone to turn around and go home.
Finance - Date TBD- the focus will be on the work of the treasurer and financial practices such as travel reimbursements, utilities and the pastor, apportionments explanations, and more.
Nomination's- August - date TBD- In order to move this closer to when the Nominations teams will be doing their work this will come later in the year. The focus will be on the Small Leadership Team Model- as we have had several churches working on this with questions.
UMYF I would like to thank everyone who helped, attended, and supported this year’s Coffee House extravaganza at Mt. Bethel. Thanks to all of our youth who helped out with skits and sub-jected themselves to the momentary awkwardness and spotlight that comes with them! While it was a busy and hectic evening, it was also enjoyable and provided an avenue of fellowship with snacks, smiles, and reflection. Thanks also to the youth who were able to help out with our Lenten service; we look forward to doing this again next year. By the time this article is in print and in the hands of readers, the UMYF will have had their annual egg toss, an occasion not for the faint of heart…or well-dressed. The egg toss will coin-cide on the same day as the children’s Easter Egg Hunt, on March 29th. My goal this year is not to get “yolked” or “shelled” with intact or broken egg remnants. We will report the victors in next month’s article… Sunday evening UMYF meetings will resume this month, under our typical time of 6 – 7:30 pm in the youth room. I am looking forward to starting new material, new conversations, and new activities together as we seek to be who God calls us to be at Mt. Bethel. We have been on a bit of a hiatus as a group, so we will begin looking at plans for the upcoming months as well. Be sure to carve out this chunk of time and come join us for the spring weather and new life that we cele-brate with one another this time of year! May the Lord bless and keep you, Andrew Bolick
COMING…… SUNDAY, MAY 17 6:00PM
BETHLEHEM COMMUNITY SING AT SHILOH LUTHERAN CHURCH
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The Epistle
SAVE THE DATE — UPCOMING SPECIAL EVENTS CALENDAR … MAY Saturday, May 2 UMM BBQ 4:00PM until Monday, May 4 “LEADING THROUGH CHANGE” Church Leadership Webinar 6:45PM Tuesday, May 5 VBS Planning Meeting 7:00PM Wednesday, May 6 CDC Meeting 7:30PM Thursday, May 7 National Day of Prayer-Community Service around flag pole at Mt. Bethel 12 Noon . Speaker Rev Dave Hefner from Shiloh Lutheran Friday, May 8 Mother-Daughter Banquet (Covered Dish) 6:30PM Sunday, May 10 Mother’s Day Worship 10:00AM Tuesday, May 12 Worship Committee Meeting 7:00PM Sunday, May 17 Heritage/Graduate Recognition Sunday Community Sing @ Shiloh Lutheran Church 6:00PM Monday, May 18 CDC/ASC Parent Appreciation 4-6PM VOW Meeting 7:00PM Saturday, May 23 Country Breakfast/Yard Sale 7:00AM Sunday, May 24 Memorial Day Observance Sunday Administrative Council Meeting 7:00PM Monday, May 25 Memorial Day Church Office closed Monday-Sunday 5/25—5/31 Pastor’s vacation Guest Speaker in worship on Sunday, 5/31 JUNE Wednesday, June 3 CDC Meeting 6:30PM Saturday, June 6 UMW Chicken Pie Supper 5:00PM Sunday, June 7 New Members Luncheon following Morning Worship Tuesday, June 9 Worship Committee Meeting 7:00PM Wednesday, June 10 Last Day of School Friday-Saturday June 12-13 UMW Spiritual Growth Retreat @ Lake Junaluska Sunday, June 14 End of School Year Pool Party @ The Bullard’s 12-4PM Monday, June 15 Summer Day Camp begins UMM sponsored American Red Cross Bloodmobile 3:00-7:30PM Tuesday, June 16 VOW Meeting 6:30PM Wednesday-Sunday 6/17—6/21 WNC Annual Conference @ Lake Junaluska Sunday, June 21 Conference Sunday/Father Day Service Guest Speaker in Worship Monday, June 22 Children K-5/VBS Planning 7:00PM Saturday, June 27 Country Breakfast 7:00AM Sunday, June 28 Celebration of Freedom Worship 10:00am Administrative Council Meeting 7:00PM
PRAYER LIST “Have no anxiety about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let our requests be made known to God.” IIl Health—Lee McLawhon, Kayla Atapovich, Ms. Emma Bass, Joe Woods, John Wood, Neil Bowman, Martha Bow-man, Kevin Beard, Gail Sprouse, Joe & Jill Reinhardt, Tommy Punch Jr., Bishop Robert Taylor, Wesley Starnes, Joy Bumgarner, Rodger, Ann Rose, Mae Teague, Shirley Isenhour, Steve Bolick, Charles Sipe, Howard “Butch” Reese, An-nette Gammon, Mark Bolick, Jamie Teeters, Mary Earnhardt , Pat Benson, Melza Starnes, Fred Starnes Home Members—Mae Eckard, Lena Moretz, Emily Armstrong, Don Boliek, Susan Sigmon Cancer—Brenda Brittain, Tammy Adams, Chip Ross, Sienna “CC” Houck, Lisa Kirby, Earl Cobb, Amber Davis, Chris-tine Gates, Millie Adams, Sandy B, Everett Moose, Ken Mays, Alice Dawson, Von Moser General Concern—David Stone, Brian Stone Family, Krissy Atapovich Family, Becky, Lexie, & Jackson Ward, Kelly Blanton, Dianne Shaw, Kim Hawkins, Stephanie Baker, Tommy Punch Sr., Nidia Bryant, Melinda Coleman, Darrell, Jackie, Abby & Leah Starnes, Glenn Parks & Family, Connor Moretz & Anna McCrary, Robert & Derriann Powell (home destroyed by fire 3/23) Military—Ernest Jones Surgery & Recovery—Cris Belcher, Lyle Knifeley (Melissa Benfield’s family in Kentucky), Doug Boliek Deaths—Families of Bob Gosnell (Clay Gosnell’s Father), Tony Alexander, Mike Pope (friend of Sarah & Dewitt Moretz)
APRIL ANNIVERSARIES 2 Don & Melissa Benfield 6 Victor & Sharon Starnes 8 Michael & Lisa Little 10 Jim & Christa Griffin 22 Darrell & Jackie Starnes 29 Chris & Jane Bolick
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AMERICAN RED CROSS BLOOD DRIVE Sponsored by the UMM
MONDAY, MARCH 30 3:00—7:30PM There’s power in the blood!!!
Next Blood Drive will be June 15 3:00-7:30PM
1 Deanna Kanupp 2 Brian Sigmon, Wesley Starnes, Steven Grindstaff 6 Talmage Bowman, Glenda Kanupp, Karen Johnson 7 Connie Blackburn, Erin Little, Rosemary Johnson 8 Adam Starnes 9 Reggie Davis, Jr. 11 Rhonda Reinhardt, Gerald Williamson 12 Marcella Wood, Cherrie Lattimore 14 Patsy Moretz, Darlene Fox 15 Dennis Eckard 16 Martha Nell Bowman, Carlene Blackburn, Cheryl Lytton 17 Lindsey Teague 19 Cote Moretz 20 Wendy Moretz, Dave Privette 21 Emily Haas 23 Katie Vaughn, Kayla Privette 24 Jane Moretz, Janet Spencer, Donnie Teague 25 Tim Starnes, Derriann Powell 26 Zachary Starnes, Patrick Bass 28 Chase Bostian
APRIL BIRTHDAYS
Mt. Bethel United Methodist Church 9042 NC HWY 127 Hickory, North Carolina 28601
Return Service Requested
Western North Carolina Conference
Title: The Epistle Date April 2015 Issue: Volume 20 Issue 4 Published: Monthly with Exceptions By: Mount Bethel United Methodist Church 9042 NC HWY 127 Hickory, NC 28601
Mt. Bethel United Methodist Church
“Our Mission Statement”
“The mission of Mt Bethel United Methodist Church is to make disciples of Jesus Christ by proclaiming the good news of God’s grace and by exemplifying Jesus’ command to love God and neighbor. We
believe that the heart of Chris an ministry is Christ’s ministry of outreaching love. Together, we seek to be the expression of the mind and mission of Christ by living our daily lives in light of our
rela onship with God.”
